OBC ministers seek caste-based census; Cabinet splits

The Union Cabinet seems to have split over the inclusion of caste data in the ongoing Census exercise.

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Kartikeya Sharma

New Delhi

May 5, 2010

UPDATED: May 5, 2010 11:47 IST

The Union Cabinet seems to have split over the inclusion of caste data in the ongoing Census exercise. The sharp divisions appeared in Tuesday night's Cabinet meet, as ministers from the OBC lobby pressed for caste-based Census and some others strongly opposing the idea.

Caste has long polarised the political spectrum of the country and this time it was the Union Cabinet which apparently split vertically. The OBC leaders have been demanding a caste-based Census and the issue generated heat during the Cabinet meeting.

Those who pressed for caste in the Census included Veerappa Moily, Jaipal Reddy, Farooq Abdullah and Kapil Sibal. They maintained that caste is a reality which the Census process cannot ignore.

But some other ministers, including P. Chidambaram, Anand Sharma and Sharad Pawar were opposed to caste featuring in the Census. The anti-caste group believes that it is a throwback to the medieval times and the Census should be looking at the future and not the past.

Another strong objection came from the ministry of home affairs (MHA). The MHA in a note to the cabinet maintained that inclusion of caste can threaten the integrity of the general Census. The MHA note found the obvious support from Home Minister Chidambaram.

Opposition parties like the BJP, SP, JD(U), RJD and the Left have been seeking a caste-based Census. While the UPA government was unlikely to give in to the demands of inclusion of caste in the Census data, the split within the ruling combine seems to be worrying for it.

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